[Barricaded Harvard Square Store Window and Reflection, 2016]
Perhaps apocryphal: Harvard College’s motto, a crimson shield with three open books with “Ve,” “Ri” and “Tas,” divied over the three books signifies that its students read at least that number to know The Truth.
Know something? I’m fine with that.
Sneer at me if you chose, call me a member of the coastal intellectual elite, but I’m fine with seeking the truth by reading books. I’m fine with scholarship. Research. Analysis. Critical thinking. Science. Learning the American history I was never taught in my segregated, Virginia high school. Reading books about the world’s religions written by women theologians. I’m fine with learning things from sources other than Fox News. Or a website funded by Big Pharma or Big Oil or the 1%. I’m fine with reading.
And as we enter a dark, dark time, when Truth will be toyed with and manipulated and upended, I’m also fine with seeking Truth by opening my heart to Spirit; to listen to my Inner Teacher. And then, doing my homework.
Dear Patricia,
Well, hi, there, Patricia. my so, so very For Always dearly precious and special soul sisterfriend Christian Quaker woman who you’re For Always so, so very much!!!!! Sister, I pray, wish, and hope for you and for you and for you and yours with your so very dearest and darling husband, your Loved One in the long-term care facility, for your awesome children, sweet grandchildren, for your siblings, for all of your great family, for your so, so very blessedly pure in heart friendsfamily at your Friends Meeting at Cambridge, and for all of your superbly super friends A Very, Very Nice, Special, Blessed, Happy and A Very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and A Very Happy New Year, Patricia!!!!! Wow. I just love this absolutely fascinating, great food for thought, and very interesting blog post article of yours here, Patricia!!!! It is just so fun reading about your thoughts, ideas, and to learn more about what you do and think here, sisterfriend!!!!! Sister, the title of this brilliant blog post article with the accompanying picture which you have very graciously and generously featured and included with your great writing here is very grandly great here. Wow, I so enjoy how you share and declare here with a description of prestigious Harvard’s shield in explaining the significance and the meaning of its motto and what is on the shield itself. This is so cool and interesting here, my friend! Sister, I know what you mean about how there are some people who stereotype people on either coast or in California as the coastal elite. Being from the Midwest and the Heartland all of my life there are some silly Midwesterners who have their own set of ideas about people who live out East or who live on the West coast. Sister, I’ve always been interested in knowing more people from the East coast and what you all are like, wondering what your voices sound like and what your interests are like with political persuasions and with religion and spirituality. Sisterfriend, I must admit that I’ve heard of how Midwesteners have supposedly imitated what people from the East coast sound like considering how Bostonians sound and I was even curious. When I first heard our Debby Irving’s voice on one of her videos I have to admit that I was listening acutely to her voice to see if I could pick up on the so called Bostonian accent that a lot of Midwesterners claim is the way people in Boston talk. I was really curious here, sister! :)!!!!!
Sister, I am also an avid reader of books in all of their great variety being such a book addict. I want so to always learn, to grow, to heal, to recover, to learn new things with my insatiable appetite to read more and more and to learn as much as I can. I am always in a search for more and for more information and knowledge. When I was a young girl I’d read in bed with a flashlight hoping my parents wouldn’t catch me and tell me that I had to go to sleep!:)!!!!! When I was younger and even at present I’ll go on reading marathons when I will spend hour after hour upon hour voraciously reading. Wow, this is such fun-I’m such a book addict!!!!! Sister, I have so many books and bookshelves in my living room that I can’t fit a full couch in my living room. So when I am a couch potato not exercising enough I have to make do with my recliner and my chairs!:)!!!!! I’m trying to do better with exercising more but it can be difficult with my physical disabilities and chronic physical pain which act up a lot. Patricia, it is just such a wonderful thing for you to be thought of as a member of the coastal intellectual elite. Searching constantly for knowledge and truth are always such cool full of spirit endeavors, Patricia! Sister, I had already been watching these channels and shows anyway but ever since the horrible election when that evil man won the election for President I have been watching the alternative news channels like with Freespeech TV in order to get away a little bit from the mainstream media. I still check out the mainstream media but not as much. I watch Democracy Now, Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, David Pakman, Rising Up with Sonali, and other people on this channel. Wow, this is great to check into the alternative media, sister!!!!! I just so love all of the great links which you have as usual as always very generously and graciously featured and included with this awesome blog post article. At this dark and dire time as you so wisely say here as Truth is manipulated and destroyed we must without ceasing seek Truth by opening our very hearts to Spirit, to listen to our Inner Teacher, and to do our homework in doing the very necessary and vitally urgent and important work. Wow, sister, I so love, enjoy, and appreciate all of the great links here. The article regarding what is really going on when some right-wing folks sneer at city dwellers was very instructive and informative here giving me more clarity on those other folks who voted for that man. I cannot even bear to say his name!!!!! Sister, I have always since I was a young girl so enjoyed going on reading marathons reading for hours non-stop or stopping as infrequently as possible. I read all of the marvelous info from the super links which you provided. Wow, it was great reading about our deeply profound Parker J. Palmer. Wow, he is a deeply spiritual and blessed man! Sister, I think if I am remembering correctly that you spoke of our Parker J. Palmer in one of your spectacular blog post articles awhile back. The Center for Courage & Renewal sounds like such a great place to be renewed, to be healed, blessed, and from which to learn and grow abundantly with such depth of spirituality and deeper clarity. I’m going to look for his awesome books at my Iowa City Public Library and joyfully read them, sisterfriend. This blessed retreat has empowered very many persons from all backgrounds in bettering their lives and the division within their former fragmented selves and also helped very many folks to realize the dreams for themselves and those they love which they envision in their very hearts and spirits. I love how they help very many people to heal and to lose their fragmentation in connecting to Inner Truth with their Inner Teacher. Sister, I think that all of you as such blessed Quakers have a great idea here with the Clearness Committee to aid toward greater discernment for people!!!! Wow, this is just great here!!!!! Wow, I am just very interested in the great thought here regarding how it is suggested that folks trust and learn from silence and about the very value of silence like at Meeting. Wow, this is very important here! I can see for sure that there is such a significant value to silence and what a way to gain greater clarity in the very discernment process, Patricia. I love all of the pdfs that have such great learning info like with how we are guided to attend to our own Inner Teacher. I love all of the great links in all of their splendid entirety. What beautiful words so full of wisdom like how everyone has an Inner Teacher, inner work requires solitude and community, and as to how our lives move in cycles like the seasons. My very, very heart, and my very, very heart and spirit leapt for joy as I read these very lovely, deeply spiritual words, sister! It was just such very interesting reading for me as I joyously read the great information on The Circle of Trust Approach, The Principle of the Circle of Trust Approach, The Practices of the Circle of Trust Approach, and The Results of The Circles of Trust. Parker J. Palmer’s, The Clearness Committee: A Communal Approach To Discernment is such an easy to understand and accessible article which makes clear these very important and relevant points, sister. Sisterfriend, wow did I enjoy reading all of this wealth of great, educational, and spiritual info with such enthusiasm, and great reading pleasure, Patricia!!!!! I thank-YOU so!!!!!
Sister, I thank Spirit continually for YOU at this holy Christmas with the observance of our Sweet Jesus’ birth and For Always, for YOU, Patricia, are my and our very joy and blessing!!!!! Wow, sister, you help me so with my walk with Jesus, and your brilliant blog post articles, other great writings and books, and all you do just so help and bless me and so, so very many other people!!!!! Wow!!!!! Yay!!!!!! Yay yay yay yay!!!!! Sister, Spirit so, so very much loves and cherishes you, Patricia, and so do I!!!!!! A Very Merry and Happy Christmas to you and to you and to you and yours, Patricia, and a Happy New Year, and to each and every one of you straight from my very heart!!!!!!
Very Warmly and Sincerely For Always, my so, so very For Always awesomely special and precious soul sisterfriend Christian Quaker white woman who you’re For Always so, so very much, Patricia, with Such Peace and Love For You For Always, sister of mine, and with Such Very Blessings and Such Very Even More Blessings For You For Always, friend of mine,
Yours For Always soul sisterfriend Christian black woman, and For Always in the very great spirit and solidarity, Sherry Gordon in Iowa City, Iowa